Welder&#39;s helmet



Nov. 19, 1946. J. OREILLY 2,411,224

WELDER S HELMET Original Filed June 19, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V ENTOR. J55 O EEILL @ZoQM/WM Nov. 19, 1946. J. OREILLY 2,411,224

WELDER S HELMET Original Filed June 19, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I W? 70 ii60 4 n /r I) BY 56 $2 46 mf ww df faenznr Patented Nov. 19, 1946 WELDERSHELMET Joe OReilly, Tacoma, Wash., assignor to Welding Service Sales,Inc.,'San Francisco, Calif, a corporation of California Originalapplication June 19, 1943, Serial No.

491,452. Divided and this application September 2, 1944, Serial No.552,498

4 Claims.

This invention relates to welders helmets or masks, and devices of alike character comprising a head band and a mask body that is supportedtherefrom for pivoted movement between a lowered, face protectingposition, and a lifted position at which it is disposed out of line ofvision of the user; the invention being a divisional part of anapplication filed on June 19, 1943, under Serial No, 491,452, and havingfor its principal object, first, to provide an improved type of windowand ray filter glass holder within the front wall of the mask that willpermit convenient and easy changing of window or filter glass when suchis required, and also will permit the filter glass to be adjusted out ofthe line of vision without lifting the mask; second, to provide animproved type of flip front window and novel 'means for yieldinglyholding it either in raised or lowered position; and, third, to providevarious improved features in the general construction of parts that willsimplify and lessen the cost of production of such devices.

Other objects of the invention reside in details of construction ofparts, and in their combination and mode of use as will hereinafter hefully described. V

In accomplishing the above mentioned and other objects of the invention,I have provided the improved-details of construction, the preferredforms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinFig. 1 is a perspective view of the present helmet or mask as seen fromthe front, with the filter glass frame in its raised position. 1

Fig. 2 is a central, vertical section through the mask, illustrating themode of application of the device to the users head.

Fig. '3 is an enlarged vertical section through the window structure,with the flip frontin closed position.

' Fig. 4 is a perspectiveview of the window frame and filter glassmounting frame, parts of which are broken away for .purpose of betterillustration.

Fig.5 is an enlarged sectional detail of one of the mounting hingesofthe fiip' front" frame.

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 in Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of one of the plate holding springs clips.I

Referringmore in" detail to the drawings- Devices of this kind areusually worn by welders to protect their faces against .heat and flyingmetal sparks, and to protect the eyes against-the glare of the weldingflame, and it is advantageous that the mask body be supported fromthe'head nated in its entirety by reference numeral l0, and

a head harness which is designated in its entirety by referencecharacter II. The head harness, as seen best in Fig. 2, comprises a bandI2 that is shaped to encircle the head of the user of the mask. Anotherstrip- I5 is arched to cross over the top of the head and this isattached at'its ends to the'band l2 centrally at the front and at theback of the head.

Fixed to the band I2, at opposite sides, andagainst the outside surfacesof the band, are latch blocks 2i], and also fixed in the band andextended outwardly therefrom and centrallythrough the blocks 20 arepivot trunnions 2| on which the opposite side wall portions of the maskbody are mounted.

The mask body ismade of a light, durable and fire resisting materialsuchas fiber or sheet metal. As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, itcomprises a substantially flat front wall 25 from which opposite sideportions 26 are turned back in divergence. Also, there is a' top portion21, which is rearwardly and upwardly inclined from the top edge of thefront wall. The opposite side flanges of this top section are overlappedwith and are attached to corresponding side portions, by rivets, or thelike, as indicated at 29 in Fig. 1. Also, there is a bottom wall portion30 that is turned back from the bottom edge of the front wall tounderlie the chin of the user.

The trunnions '2! which extend from the head band I2, at opposite sidesof the harness, extend pivctally through the rear edge portions of theside walls 26 of the mask, and permit the mask to be swung upwardlythereon from the position in which it is shown in Fig. 2, to a positionover the head. Inthe latter position, it is out of the line of vision ofthe wearer.

In the use of sucha device, it is quite advantageous that it be notrequired to remove the mask from the head; but that a clear view ofthework be provided merely by tilting the mask to the raised position,where it will be yieldingly held during inspection of work, and then tobring it down to 'a lowered, protective position as soon asttheweldingtorch is brought into use. It is required, however, thatsome meansbeprovided to yieldingly retain the mask at a set position. This means isnot a part of the present invention, but is set out in the applicationof which this is a divisional part. Also, in the lowered position of themask, it is naturally required that provision bemade fornot obstructingview of the work. Therefore, a window is placed in the front wall 25 inalinement with the users eyes, as will be understood by reference toFig. 2.

The window which is applied to an opening in the front of the maskcomprises a rectangular frame designated in its entirety by referencecharacter 40. This frame is preferably of plastic, having extendingflanges 4| surrounding the frame and designed to engage flatly againstthe front wall about the opening in the mask, and to receive attachingrivets or bolts 42 therethrough, as noted in Figs. 1 and 3. The frame 40also comprise flanges 43 and 44 that, respectively, project outwardlyand inwardly with respect to flange 4!. The flange 44 sets oil arectangular frame that extends through the front wall opening, as seenin Figs. 2 and 3, and fitted within this flange 44 and seated about itsedges against 'abottom' flange 4|, surrounding the window opening in theframe 40, is a plain glass panel '45 which may be of one or more layers.Hinged to the front of the frame flange43 to swing outwardly andupwardly therefrom, is another window of the flip front typecomprising aframe 48 in which a filter glass panel 49 is mounted. The hinge mountingfor this window is best illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 and will later bedescribed in detail. The panel 49 is of dark glass or what may be termedray filter glass, designed to protect the 'users eyes from the glare ofthe welding torch, and overlying this, is placed a panel of transparentglass 50 merely to protect the more expensive ray filter panel.

In order to hold the glass panels 45 and 49 in place in their respectiveframes, I have provided each frame with a spring wire holding clip, oneof which is shown in Fig. '7. Each clip comprises a cross portion 60from which extend opposite side portions or leg portions GI-BI, :bentsubstantially at a right angle to the cros portion and formed without-turned pivot ends 6252, se ving as mounting trunnions or pivots. Thepivot ends 62 of the clip that is applied to the frame 4G are seated inholes 62a in opposite side parts of the flange 44 that surrounds theWindow opening. Likewise, the leg portions of the clip that is appliedto the hinged frame 48, are applied to holes 62b in the opposite sidesof that frame. The cross portion 60 of each clip is bowed away from theglass panel which it retains, as will be observed in Fig. 4. Likewise,the legs til-6i are bowed, but inwardly so as to engage along theirmedial portions with opposite side edge portions of the glass panel, andthere is a lug 63 projecting from the panel enclosing flange back ofwhich the cross piece 60 may be engaged to hold the clip functionallyengaged with the glass panel. When so held, the inwardly bowed legsiil6l will be pressed tightly against the ends of the glass panel tohold it in place, as

understood by reference to Figs. 3 and 4. The

legs Bl-Bl, for a major part of their length, overlie the correspondingedges of the panel, but

along their inner end portions, are outwardly offset so as to lieoutside the panel edges. At the ends of these offset portions, thetrunnions 62 are formed. When it is desired to remove a glass can seethrough the clear glass panel 45.

lug 63, then to swing the wire clip outwardly on its pivots, as shown indotted lines in Fig. 3, leav-' as noted in Figs. 5 and 6, withprojecting lugs Iii, each of which is located within the open upper endportion of a spring retainer housing II that is formed as a part of theframe 40 which is fixed to the mask. As seen in Fig. 5, each lug I!) hasa pivot or hinge pin l2 extended therethrough, and through the sidewalls of the housing, whereby to hingedly mount the flip frame 48 insuch manner that it can be closed over or lifted from the frame 40. InFig. 1, the frame 48 is shown in its raised positionso that the'maskuser In Fig. 2, the flip frame is shown closed over theframe 49 so thatthe user eyes are then protected against glare by the panel 49.

Each lug 16 has two flat end surfaces 15 and J6 in planes at nearly a 90angle to each other, and within each housing is seated a coiled springit which at one end mounts a seat thereon. Each seat comprises a block19 formed with a flat top surface 19' and with a stem portion thatextends axially into the coils of it mounting spring to hold the seat inproper position. The block substantially fits the housing, and itretains the spring against upsetting in the housing.

As will be observed in Fig. 5, the spring acts directly toward the hingepin .and therefore when the flip front is raised, the spring presses theblock tightly against the flat surface 15 and thereby yieldingly retainsthe flip front in raised position. When the flip front is pushed towardclosed position, the front mounting door swings about the hinge pin,bearing inwardly on the block, compresses the spring and finally theflat surface of the block is permitted to engage flatly with the surface16 of the lub, thereby to yieldingly hold the flip front in its closedposition.

The hinge construction is such that whenever the point of the lug at thejunction of surfaces 15 and 16, passes over a dead center position inswinging the flip front from one position to another, then the springacts to snap the frame '40 to the position toward which it is beingmoved.

- essential or desirable.

The provision of this flip front window permits clear vision when suchis desired without lifting the mask, and provides for the quick andconvenient closing of the ray filterwindow during the welding operationfor the protection "of the user's eyes. The novel clips for holdingthe'gl-ass panels in place permits easy and quick removal andreplacement of the panels, when such is required.

Having thus described my invention, what I 5 claim as new therein anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a Window for shields of the character described, comprising anopen, rectangular frame having an inwardly extending flange and atransparent panel removably applied in the frame and seated against saidflange; a clip applied within the frame opening to retain the said panelin place; said clip comprising a cross member extending across the frameopening adjacent one edge of the panel, and opposite end legs extendingfrom the ends of the cross member along and overlying opposite edgeportions of the panel and ivoted at their ends in the frame in a mannerallowing the clip to be swung outwardly from the panel for its removal,and a lug on the frame back of which the said cross member of the clipcan be removably engaged thus to hold the opposite end legs of the clippressed against the panel and the panel seated in place.

2. A clip as recited in claim 1 wherein the cross member is resilientand is bowed between its ends away from the panel and is placed undertension when holdingly engaged against said lug.

3. A spring clip as recited in claim 1 wherein the opposite end legs areresilient and are bowed between their ends toward the panel and areplaced under tension when pressed against the panel by the seating ofthe cross member against the holding lug,

4. In a window for shields of the character described comprising anopen, rectangular frame having an inwardly extending flange, and atransparent panel'removably contained in the frame and seated againstthe flange; a clip applied within the frame to retain the said panel inplace; said clip comprising a spring wire cross member extending acrossthe frame opening adjacent one edge of the panel, opposite end legs ofspring wire extending from the ends of the cross member along andoverlying the opposite edge portions of the panel for a substantialdistance, then offset outwardly beyond the edges for a short distance,then turned outwardly to form mounting pivots that are pivotally mountedin the frame to permit the clip to swing in the frame toward and'fromthe panel, and a lug on the frame back of which the cross member may beengaged to hold the panel in position.

JOE OREILLY.

